A fresh look at the origins and development of Islam, this is a fascinating reconstruction of the formative era of the Muslim community. Using a wealth of classical Arabic sources, it chronicles the lives of the Prophet Muhammad, his Companions, and the subsequent two generations of Muslims, together known as the the Pious Forebears. This accessible book takes a close look at the embryonic Muslim communities and explains the impact of the earliest converts on the development of Islam and its current beliefs.

A fresh look at the origins and development of Islam, this is a fascinating reconstruction of the era of the first three generations of Muslims. Using a wealth of classical Arabic sources, it chronicles the lives of the Prophet Muhammad, his Companions, and the subsequent two generations of Muslims, together known as the "the Pious Forebears". Examining the adoption in contemporary times of these early Muslims as legitimizing figureheads for a variety of causes, both religious and political, Afsaruddin tries to establish where their sympathies really lay. Essential reading for anyone interested in the inception of the Islam, this important book will captivate the general reader and student alike.

A clearly written and well argued work; a helpful and clarifying book for a general audience. William Graham - Dean (Harvard Divinity School), Albertson Professor of Middle Eastern Studies (FAS) and author of Beyond the Written Word: Oral Aspects of Scripture in the History of Religion

• Introduction: Writing about the First Muslims Chapter One: The Rise of Islam and Life of the Prophet MuhammadChapter Two: The Issue of Succession to the ProphetChapter Three: The Age of the Rightly-Guided CaliphsChapter Four: the End of Rightly-Guided LeadershipChapter Five: The Age of the CompanionsChapter Six: The Age of the SuccessorsChapter Seven: The Successors to the Successors I: Administration, Leadership, and JihadChapter Eight: The Successors to the Successors II: Education, Humanism, and Mystical SpiritualityChapter Nine: Constructing the Pious Forbears: Historical Memory and the Present. Part One: The Islamist ConstructionChapter Ten: Constructing the Pious Forbears: Historical Memory and the Present. Part Two: The Significance of the Salaf al-Salih for the ModernistsChapter Eleven: Assessment of Islamist and Modernist ViewsConclusion